What was left unsaid
by FallenSwan
Summary: What if Red X's inital interest in Starfire developed into more? And how is Blackfire taking advantage of it? [RobinStarfire]
1. Default Chapter

**Chapter One -- Alliance**

It was yet another night in Jump City--a time in which Red X thrived. After all, it was then when he took a liking to stealing the most precious valuables. When everyone was dormant--even the titans. It was not fear of the titans that made this fact pleasing to Red X--it was just that his plan to defeat the titans was not complete yet. To have to fight them at this point would be useless. Besides--at the moment he felt much more interested in the Cynerix Crystal behind the display glass so carefully guarded in front of him. It had been his target for almost as long as the titans.

_Almost_

Red X thought to himself bitterly. Red X placed his hand gingerly on a device created by his arch-nemesis Robin at his waist belt.

_How ironic_

Nonetheless, he spent no more time thinking of the titans and their pestering leader and lifted the glass cage silently when suddenly the alarm went off. A million red lights went off at once, the silence was corrupted completely as the alarm bell riveted down the building. Red X knew that he had not tripped the alarm, so then who? In the corner of his eyes he caught a figure in the shadows, moving quickly.

_Great an amateur blew my cover. My lucky day. Well, I am curious to see who would follow my lead. Besides, I don't feel like waiting for the titans to come with the cops and try to capture me._

Red X scrambled the device of the glass compartment and ran after the figure.

_Whoever it is--their pretty fast._

He noticed that the alarms had ceased and the only sound available was the pitter patting of the shuffle of his and the amateur thief's feet.

_What a relief, I would have gotten a horrible migraine._

Yes, where Red X resided, which barely describe it, there was complete silence. This in the long run--had helped him with his senses. He chased the figure for a split minute before he caught it's hand, he paused, shocked.

She looked like Starfire, but her hair was dark and her eyes were a violet color. Now it was she who took his hand and led him outside of the building and through the streets. Red X could not shake of her face--remarkably identical to Starfire of the Teen Titans.

_Starfire_

The first thought that had run through his mind when he had seen her was--a pretty face fighting with the titans, how amusing. Then he saw her wit and cleverness and understood at once the look she had exchanged with Robin when he was struck down.

_They were in love_

Yes bashfully and afraid to admit it---but it did not change the fact. And now, as time had passed, Starfires face had haunted Red X's dreams and nightmares. Yes he had fallen in love with her. A rather inconvenient time--but it could not be helped. So, it did not surprise Red X later when he had time to analyze the situation, that he had been paralyzed at the face of the Starfire look alike. But she was not Starfire he noticed when she was in the light and could be seen properly--she had a look of malice in her eyes.

"Hey--names Blackfire, did you happen to get that Cynerix Crystal back there?"

Her voice was airy, careless and aloof. Red X couldn't keep his eyes of her.

"Y-yeah."

He stammers and uncoiled his fist which held the crystal he managed to snatch before being caught off guard.

"How about your give that to me and nobody gets hurt."

_Great the girl wants to fight me. Her mistake._

"You may have caught me off guard, Red X said recovering his composure, but I'm no amateur. Now if you'd like I'd love to give this back to the cop and then you can try and steal it yourself."

"You've got spunk kid, she said with a laugh of spitefulness."

_Who was this girl?_

"Listen, you give me that crystal and I ensure you victory over the titans."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't need it."

I replied just as airily and pretended to shift my gaze to the night sky, blazing with the reds of the sirens light.

"The thing is that their personal rivals seeing as they keep protected my little sister, Starfire."

"Starfire's your little sister?"

I asked bewildered, this malicious girl couldn't be Starfire's sister.

"Of course, why---hey! Why are you so interested in her? Does my little sister have a secret admirer?"

If not for my mask, she would have seen the dark red blush on my face.

"No, she just has something I want."

"Hm, well I won't peck at it any further, but here's the deal: you give me the crystal, I'll give you Starfire."

_The offer was tempting--incredibly tempting. But I knew even if I had Starfire--her heart and mind would both be with the Titans commander._

"And--I'll get Robin out of the way."

_Of course she'd figured out my intentions. It seemed my unexpected visitor was clever indeed._

"Deal."

I said and took off in the night sky.

"Hey wait! When will we attack?"

She asked, her brow furrowed.

"You'll know."

I said and then made my way home.

Yes, Wayne Manor.


	2. Obssesion

**Obsession**

The late sunset hovered slightly over the marshes surrounding the Titans' Tower. Inside, conflicting thoughts were being thrown around, anger boiling inside some. Inside the incredible large entertainment center, was Beast Boy flopped on the couch alongside with Cyborg letting their anger be expressed through their video game.

"Dude, your not gonna pass me!"

Beastboy yelled in frustration as his thumbs began to become terribly tired.

"Aint gonna pass me? Watch me!"

Retorted Cyborg, his face contorted in a mix of a joyous expression and an angered one.

"I'm not gonna let you pass me. I'm not gonna be left standing like an idiot while that dumb guy who stole the Red X suit laughs in my face!"

Beast boy said, letting the tip of his true frustration win over his facade.

Cyborg suddenly stopped and turned of the video game slowly, he face Beast Boy seriously whose face was in shock.

"Dude, I was so beating you!"

Beastboy retorted, same tireless grin on his face.

"That's not why I turned it off."

Cyborg grumbled.

"That Red X guy is making us all edgy, Cyborg paused momentarily, suddenly his face was looming over Beast boy; "and your pressing so hard on my controls you're gonna wreck them!"

"Wha--"

"Listen man, we've all got to wait this out. That Red X guy must be laughing at us right now, and I know it makes you mad. It makes us all mad. The point is we can't get all worked up about it. I just hope Starfire can convince Robin."

"I agree."

Came the monotone voice of Raven who now stepped out of her slightly ajar door.

"On both terms."

She added and a grim expression filled Cyborg and Beast Boy as they wondered what the leader of the titans might be thinking about now. After all he had made Red X, who knew what he was planning to do to destroy him?

"Please stop moving."

Starfire asked gently of Robin who was squirming refusing to be bound by the bear hug of the Tamaranian princess who would not allow him to go out and search for Red X.

"Star---Starfire, let me go."

His voice was cold, but Starfires was persistent.

"I will not. You are hurt; there is not sense for you to look for Red X in this condition. We are the Teen Titans, we are a team Robin. If I am not incorrect that means we work together, no?"

Robin's face furrowed in despair knowing that Starfire was indeed right, and he was loosing the argument.

"Star, you don't understand--"

A look of hurt momentarily crossed Starfires face. Robin caught it.

"Star, I didn't mean to---"

"I know, but please Robin, stay until your wounds are healed."

She meant much more than his physical wounds, obviously the last shard of pride that he had left had been shattered.

"I just don't get it. I made him! Why can't I destroy him?"

Starfire was not used to seeing Robin this upset and frustrated without the matter being related to Slade.

"Because you are human, and it is human to fail sometimes. If someone should be blaming themselves, it should be me. I am a Tamaranian; I should have been able to defeat him."

"Starfire don't carry the burden that I made."

Robin said quietly shielding himself from Starfire's comfort.

"You are trying to save this city from harms way, you already carry too many burdens, which is why we are here. We are your friends; Starfire extended her hand to him releasing him from her embrace, "let us help you."

Robin returned a rare smile and then nodded.

"Hello master X."

Red X looked curtly at Alfred, the confident of Bruce Wayne, the man that had saved him.

"Hi Al--"

He quickly left the statement, reminding himself that he had learned the Robin had called him that.

"Alfred."

Red X corrected.

"Is he here?"

"No, master Bruce is---"

"I see, goodbye."

Red X walked over to his room, the thoughts of his arrival at Wayne Manor flooding his mind.

_That's right, I was found by Batman after my encounter with the titans for the first time. I had wandered into Gotham City; decided it would be fun to crash there to give the titans a fake sense of security. But as Batman found me and rendered me like a helpless child, I was forced to reveal my story. That or he made me eat a plate of vegetables. Alfred can be intimidating when he wants to. _

Red X shuddered, silly how he feared vegetables of everything in the world.

_He was interested in my story and allowed me a home at Wayne Manor and a pass to come and go as I pleased under one condition. The one condition that was the partial reason why I made frequent visits to Jump City._

_"Robins been spoiled, Bruce started, after he left for Jump City he was revered to be one of the greatest--I don't know how, but he got it though his head that he was the greatest. I want you to give him a challenge. Make him realize that he has yet to reach the top."_

_And I had agreed, it was fun seeing Robin become frustrated. Of course, my deal with Blackfire had nothing to do with Bruce. He didn't even know about it. But I think he has a hunch about my ongoing thoughts of Starfire. I think he rather liked the motivation so he didn't question me._

_I had been lucky._

_Being interrogated by a guy who was barely in my existence didn't interest me in the least bit._

_Starfire on the other hand was quite a different matter._

_I noted that Blackfire will be getting albeit angry at the long period of time that will progress before I contact her again. I need to make my plan foolproof, and that meant Robin._


	3. Slade

**Authors Note: Sorry, this one may be a bit crazy seeing as I wrote it at one in the morning.**

* * *

**SLADE**

****

_Blackfire l__eaned tiredly at the ragged brick walls of an abandoned pier, her eyes slowly closing. It was around two in the morning in earthen time, she presumed, and although her exhaustion was undeniable the guilt that taunted her was slightly more undeniable. Questions that had been thrown at her by peasants in Tamaran while she was still Grand Ruler haunted her. Questions that the brittle remains of her conscious still threw at her during sleepless nights such as these. Sometimes she herself questioned her motives--and pondered the possibility that she could truly be insane._

_If not, how could one despite and detest a sister with such intensity? How could she be planning a plan to kill her own sister and kill her beloved friends just to torture her? From where was this jealously borne that she had resulted from framing her sister in her crimes to setting her up in a marriage she knew she'd be miserable in to becoming allies with one of her teams most detested enemies?_

_If one had asked her these questions, she would have to be truthful and answer that she had no sort of idea whatsoever. The deeper she searched inside herself, the more confused she became. Not being in control did not amuse her and so she left it alone--until it would come and haunt her again. Rain would soon fall, she realized as she looked at the fogged sky, and she would need to seek shelter._

_Who would have known; Blackfire first in line for the throne of Tamaran would be hiding like a coward from her **little** sister. The very thought infuriated Blackfire and her eyes snapped open but succumbed to the solace of the black shielding of her eyelids once again. Soon she fell into a deep slumber, and not even the drizzle that fell, awakened her._

* * *

_Starfire felt a strange sense of foreboding as the rain fell and rendered her teammates to sleep on the couch that evening. Only Robin and herself were awake, Robin deeply engrossed in the movie; she thinking about other matters. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on what was troubling her, but not clear image entered her mind. Only a mixture of emotions and episodes in her life appeared. She shoved them aside, such bitter and sad memories she should have had forgotten. _

_Starfire quietly slipped away from the couch, unnoticed by Robin, and into her room. She wondered what Galfore could possibly be doing now that he was Grand Ruler of Tamaran. She imagined something to mend the mistakes and shortcomings that Blackfire had caused. Pain seared through her as her sister came into thought and she decided to shove the thought aside. But she could not help but feel guilty. At the moment, banishing Blackfire from Tamaran had felt right--but now, she felt terrible about it._

_She had left Tamaran for her own reasons, Starfire could not imagine having been banished from Tamaran and having no place to go. Even during her transformation she had left Earth by choice, and although she was no accepted by many of the planets she ventured to; she always knew she had a place that she could think of as home. Even if she had felt she was too hideous to return there and face her teammates._

_Starfire yawned and decided to leave Titan's tower and refresh herself with the falling rain--even if Robin had told her she could catch some kind of disease while doing so--she needed to get away. She went downstairs and slipped by Robin undetected, and out the door. She let the rain fall upon her red tresses and soaked in the cold solace. _

_Suddenly she felt strong arms wrap themselves around her. Starfire struggled as the voice whispered in her ear; "Miss me?"_

* * *

_Robin pressed the remote control button tiredly as the movie had finally finished and was about to tell Starfire that he was off to bed when he saw she was gone. Sudden panic and worry overcame him. He ran upstairs and into her room--empty. He knew that Starfire would not leave him without saying goodnight or recounting one of Tamaranian night rituals and so, his alarm was understandable. Trusting his own instinct her went outside and found in the distance green lights._

_Either Beast Boy was trying to morph into fireworks again, or Starfire was in some serious trouble. Robin ran quickly to the sourced and found Starfire gasping for breath, her firebolts dimming. Robin tried to look for the person who had attacked Starfire, but there was none to be seen._

_He took Starfire in his arms and tried to make out the words she was saying._

_"I am sorry I went out in the rain, Robin. Someone attacked me, I believe it--"_

_"Shh, you can tell me in the morning Star."_

_Robin interrupted, but was not heard as Starfire had already fainted from the unbearable exhaustion._

_Robin looked around one more time and then turned back into the tower. _

_He gently placed Starfire in her bed and closed the door behind him. Only one word emerged from his lips._

_"Slade."_

* * *


	4. Regrets

**What was left unsaid**

**Chapter 4 -- Regrets**

_Will it ever end? _

_No_

_Will Slade ever stop? _

_No_

_Is anyone else going to be hurt because of him?_

_Yes_

_The thoughts linked in a suffocating chain around Robin's sanity. Yet another sleepless night, his only companion the light of the computer screen. Endless data reports, newspaper clippings, memoirs... He felt stifled, unable to move forward. Everything he had every researched about Slade Wilson had come to a dead end. Thus far, all he could gather was that he was insane, or at least on the brink of insanity. That he had his reason for wanting the destruction of Jump City, and that he would reach any lengths to complete his desire._

_He had caused Terra's untimely death, he had injured Starfire, heck--he had almost killed him. Didn't he feel a little remorse--if any? Slade's tendency to frustrate Robin was not all that bothered him._

_Was he really different from Slade? As time progressed his assured no, had become blurred with a maybe. Was the thought of possibility lucrative? _

_Once again he abandoned, or tried to put aside the prior thoughts and analyze once again Slade's motives for attacking Starfire. What could he possibly get out of attacking a single titan? Perhaps he had infected her with some sort of virus as he had done when he had forced Robin to become his apprentice. But he had run a complete scan on Starfire's nervous system--the search had been fruitless. His one fear was dawning upon him---what if Robin's attempts all ended futile. If he could not stop Slade--could anyone?_

_Raven shifted from her sitting position on the couch to one that was similar to her meditating poise. The silence in the tower had become unbearable--even for her. It was not a peaceful, restful silence. It was an uneasy, hostile, silence. Cyborg and Beast Boy had abandoned their attempts at contently playing video games--they were afraid to wake Starfire. Both had retreated to their respective rooms and hadn't been heard of in hours. The rarity of that alone unsettled Raven._

_Starfire had not been out of her room since the incident with Slade. Slade, Raven sighed. Once again the madman's name brought hostility to the Teen Titans. Raven tried to imagine how Robin felt whenever it was Slade who stood behind an attack on the titans. Just like she felt when she realized she'd had to confront the hate that resided dormant inside of her. But she had managed to keep the hate dormant--Slade never rested, never cease to plot. It was daunting how Robin remained calm, self assure, **sane**. _

_Raven once again sighed and looked vacantly at her surroundings. An unnecessarily gigantic plasma television. A game station, its controls scattered about. Several couches, a table where the popcorn and other candies rested on movie nights. Everything seemed normal--so why couldn't it be._

_If the titans had been normal, they would all attend school. Sure that wasn't a big plus in Ravens mind, but subtracting every villain; primarily Slade, obsessive fan girls like Kitten, and danger of being blown up by the second; wouldn't it be worth it? Without the titans--the world would still function. Somehow, though, Raven knew that Robin would still be burdened with Slade. Of what she knew of Robin's past, he had lived with Gotham city's notorious Batman. Without the Titans, Jump City would require frequent assistance from the Justice League, which included Batman. Robin would have met Slade somehow. _

**_It would have been different_**_, Raven told herself. One of Robin's main problems was that he felt alone in the resolution of Slade's diabolical schemes. Perhaps with Batman's guidance, he wouldn't have felt so **alone.** _

_"Perhaps..."_

_Ravens words were carried away with the silence of the Tower and she stood her quest to try and restore the noise in the Tower--however much she detested it._

_Starfire turned restlessly--her arms ached. The spots where the strong arms had bound her bruised. She wanted to get up, move, and assure everyone that she was fine. Her mental willpower was astounding but her body had not an ounce of physical strength left. It was as if she was disconnected from her physical form altogether. Starfire found only despair in her helplessness. She wanted to call Robin--to inform him that she had not been attacked by Slade, as thought._

_Starfire eyes pried shut, tried to keep the tears from falling._

_She could feel Robin's frustration, one of a child searching aimlessly for a lost parent. She could feel it as if it was her own. When this bond has initiated--she did not know, and she could do nothing to quell the anger that burned inside of him._

_What would become of Robin?_

_Dude, are you serious?_

_Beast Boy looked at Cyborg wide-eyed, his arms crossed. _

_"Yeah, man. I analyzed the finger prints on Star arms and they don't match Slades. I tried to tell Robin but you know how he gets, he won't listen. Star probably knows who attacked her but she's too weak to tell."_

_"Dude, you're saying Slade didn't attack Star. But if Slade didn't attack Star, who did?"_

_"I don't know man, I don't know..."_

**_AUTHORS NOTE: Sorry for the long wait--but nothing came to mind as of prior. I know the chapter was slightly uneventful, but hey, writers block can do wonders to ones writing. Nonetheless, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I thank everyone for their commentary, and especially those who made their reviews extra long--constructive criticisms are well appreciated and of course all flattery welcome. _**


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